Income is the second top concern for refugees considering return

The threat of a demographic crisis has been building in Ukraine for a while but Russia’s full-scale invasion has pushed it to the breaking point. The knock-on effects of a demographic crisis will be tremendous, stunting any recovery. 

The Center for Economic Strategy (CES) forecasts an annual GDP decline between 2.7%- 6.9% if the country loses between 1.3-3.3 million of its citizens.

Over half of Ukrainian children under 10 years old are now living abroad, researcher Dariia Mykhailyshyna from the CES told the Kyiv Independent. With a fertility rate of 1.16, it may be difficult for Ukrainians to multiply their way out of this problem.

Income is the second top concern for refugees considering return. Ukrainians living abroad listed the availability of well-paying jobs as their top economic consideration for where to live. They rank it above infrastructural reconstruction.

The problem is, most Ukrainian refugees fled from areas that are bearing the brunt of Russian attacks, like southern Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and getting a good job in light of that is a tall order. Restoring businesses in Ukraine’s industrial heartland will hasten their return, Mykhailyshyna said.

Source: The Kyiv Independent